Aim To understand who Martin Luther King was and why he is remembered through the celebration of a national holiday in America.

Martin Luther King Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an American national holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King was born on January 15th, The holiday is held in January each year. Photo courtesy of “Caveman Chuck” Coker - granted under creative commons licence - attribution

Who Was Martin Luther King? Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta in the USA. As a child he enjoyed doing all the sorts of things that you enjoy doing. He enjoyed playing sports, he learned to play the piano and enjoyed going to school. But life was sometimes difficult for Martin Luther King …because he was African-American.

America in the 1950s & 1960s Is this fair? In the 1960s, life was unfair for African Americans. They weren’t allowed to use the same facilities as the white people in the United States of America. There were separate areas for African Americans and white people on public transport like buses and trains. African Americans had to use separate areas of parks and restaurants and even separate toilets to those used by white people. In some states in the USA, African-American children weren’t allowed to go to school. Or they had to go to separate schools – these usually weren’t given a lot of money and didn’t have many resources.

What is fair?

Why Is Martin Luther King Famous? Martin Luther King was a Christian. He wanted to make sure that all Americans had the same rights, regardless of their race. He became a civil rights activist. This means he campaigned for improved rights for people – to try to make all people equal.

The 1955 Bus Boycott In 1955, Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was travelling on a bus when a white man got on. In the 1950s, African Americans would have to give up their seats to white people. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and she was arrested by the police. Martin Luther King asked African Americans to protest peacefully by not travelling on the buses in the city where Rosa had been travelling. They boycotted (that means did not use) the buses for 385 days...That’s more than a year! The boycott ended when a court ruled that the segregation of people (the separate areas for people with different coloured skin) on the buses should be stopped.

“I have a dream…” In 1963, Martin Luther King led a huge march on Washington, D.C., the US capital. Here, in front of a huge crowd, Martin Luther King made his famous “I have a dream” speech. Here is a short extract: “I have a dream that one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as brothers and sisters.”

Amazing Achievements In 1964 Martin Luther King received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial prejudice in the United States. The law was changed so that everyone could vote. It is because of Martin Luther King, and others like him, that people in the United States have equal rights today.